Anterior groin pressure/numbness in aero position — saddle tilt question (Specialized Power Evo 143)

Andrea Tore

3d (edited) • Pain and Comfort ⚡️

Hi all, looking for some input on a saddle setup issue.

Setup:

Saddle: Specialized Power Evo, 143mm
Bike: road bike, ridden in aero/drops position for long efforts
Current saddle tilt: -2° measured across the full saddle length
Measured on the first 12cm (anatomical center area): +0.95° — so the nose is actually pointing slightly upward
To get the first 12cm perfectly level (0°), I’d need to drop the overall tilt to about -2.75°

Symptoms:

On long rides in aero position, I get pressure and numbness in the anterior groin area
It typically starts on the right side
I have a slight power asymmetry: 54% left / 46% right, which I can also feel in my legs (left leg pushing harder)
No issues on shorter rides or in a more upright position

What I’ve tried:

I’ve already been to several bike fitters, including the only IBFI-certified fitter working between the UK and Italy — without success, the issue is still there

Lowered the saddle by 5mm thinking the pressure might be due to excessive saddle height: no improvement

My questions:

Given the Power Evo’s profile (raised tail compared to the standard Power), is it correct to assume that measuring tilt across the full saddle underestimates the actual nose angle, and that the first 10-12cm is the reference that matters for aero riding?
Would you consider 0° on the first 12cm (≈ -2.75° overall) a sensible starting point for this saddle in an aero-oriented position, or would you go slightly nose-down from there?
Could the left/right power asymmetry be contributing to the right-side onset of symptoms (e.g., sitting slightly rotated, loading the right side of the perineum more)? Anything specific I should check beyond saddle tilt?
Should I put the saddle height back to where it was before trying the new tilt? My understanding is that lowering the saddle to reduce anterior pressure is often counterproductive because it rotates the pelvis further forward onto the nose.

Any feedback appreciated — happy to share photos of the current position if useful.

One last thing: after my last fit, the main takeaway I had was that the only real way to improve comfort on the bike is patience, trial and error, and learning to read your own body. That’s why the educational work you’re doing on this forum is genuinely important and much appreciated. I think there are “simple” bike fits where textbook evidence, when applied correctly, leads to big improvements — but once you move into fine-tuning and marginal gains, the rider’s sensations become the actual starting point, not the numbers.

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